Systems Software Engineer - Computing Services

About the role

Computing Services is the central IT department providing services that have a strategic impact on university goals. We make service decisions based on interaction and valuable input from colleagues engaged in education, research, and administration. We are a learning organization and approach successes and mistakes as learning experiences to continually cultivate a culture of intelligent risk-taking. We seek versatile team members who are inspired and passionate about their work. Join a team committed to excellence, innovation, diversity, and individual growth.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and maintain software applications and systems programs to meet business and technical requirements.
• Develop and maintain complex data integration systems to move data between multiple types of systems and databases.
• Follow established coding standards, security practices, and development procedures.
• Perform unit, integration, and system testing; support user acceptance testing (UAT).
• Assist with implementation, upgrades, and patches of existing systems.
• Gather and provide input on functional specifications and requirements.
• Create technical documentation, system diagrams, and user manuals.

Position-Specific Responsibilities

• 25% – Data systems and integrations:
  • Create and maintain data integration pipelines between systems (e.g., Informatica).
  • Develop robust monitoring processes for nightly and monthly integrations.
• 25% – Technical support for Center for Technology Transfer and Enterprise Creation (CTTEC):
  • Configure system UI, notifications, and internal workflows.
  • Develop custom reports and dashboards.
• 20% – System configuration in Next Generation Electronic Research Administration (Next Gen eRA):
  • Create custom UI attributes and notifications.
  • Meet with functional stakeholders to determine user feature requirements.
• 10% – Maintaining legacy modules:
  • Create custom UI attributes, notifications, and workflows.
  • Meet with functional stakeholders to determine user feature requirements.
  • Upgrade system versions when necessary.
• 10% – Data visualization and reporting:
  • Develop custom ETL pipelines for reporting purposes (e.g., Snowflake, Informatica).
  • Develop custom reports in data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI).
• 10% – Research administration systems help desk technical point person:
  • Work directly with the help desk to efficiently triage tickets.
  • Act as the technical point person to determine solutions and coordinate with team members to resolve issues quickly.

Requirements

• 1–3 years of experience in software development, systems analysis, or application support.
• Demonstrated experience designing, developing, testing, and maintaining applications or systems.
• Experience working with functional specifications, requirements gathering, and user needs analysis.
• Hands-on experience supporting production applications, troubleshooting system issues, and resolving user-reported problems.
• Experience creating and maintaining technical documentation (e.g., system design docs, user guides, SOPs).
• Experience working in a collaborative team environment, including cross-functional coordination with business stakeholders.
• Familiarity with software development lifecycle (SDLC) methodologies (Agile, Scrum, or Waterfall).
• Experience with version control systems (e.g., GitLab, GitHub).
• Experience in higher education, research administration systems, or academic IT environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or a combination of education and relevant experience demonstrating comparable knowledge.
• 1–3 years of programming experience in languages such as C#, JavaScript, Python, or Java.
• Experience developing web applications with HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.
• Experience creating efficient queries in a relational database using SQL.
• Experience with cloud-native data management systems to connect and transfer data from diverse sources (databases, SaaS apps, IoT) into data warehouses or lakes (e.g., Informatica, Snowflake).
• Experience debugging and optimizing system performance in SaaS environments.
• Experience supporting live/production systems and resolving incidents using incident tracking software (e.g., ServiceNow).
• Experience providing end-user technical support and issue resolution.
• Experience gathering business requirements from stakeholders and translating them into functional or technical specifications.
• Experience participating in system design discussions and solution planning.
• Successful background check.

Skills

• Ability to maintain composure when dealing with difficult situations and individuals.
• Ability to meet deadlines, work under pressure, and handle frequent interruptions.
• Strong attention to detail; ability to keep and maintain accurate and detailed reports and records.
• Ability to prioritize work and handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to understand and follow directions.
• Ability to work well with others and as part of a team.
• Visual acuity for extended computer use, reading, transcribing, analyzing data, and visual inspection.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous retirement savings program with employer contributions.
• Tuition benefits.
• Ample paid time off and observed holidays.
• Life and accidental death and disability insurance.
• Free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass.
• Access to a Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs.
• Fitness center access.

Schedule

• Full-time, regular staff position.
• Required to work normal business hours; occasional evening and weekend work may be required.
• Work is performed in a normal office environment.

Pay

Salary basis.

Location: Pittsburgh, PA